GUERNSEY                                1 (Wallbridge 31')
HAYES & YEADING UNITED   2 (Clifton (pen) 43'; Hinds 52')

Guernsey came close again but didn’t quite have enough to force a result against Hayes & Yeading United at Footes Lane on Saturday afternoon.

A stunner from Owen Wallbridge put the Green Lions in front on the half-hour but they were pegged back by a penalty just before half-time, and came close after falling behind to Kaylen Hinds’s fortunate winner early in the second half but couldn’t quite force a point to mark Matt Loaring’s 400^th appearance for the club.

The hosts had a scare within a minute as Herson Alves tried to catch out Josh Addison with a free-kick from the left, but the Guernsey stopper got down to his right to scramble it away.

Ross Allen nearly took advantage of Josh Blunkell’s positioning at the other end as GFC won the ball back from a defensive throw-in, spotting the United keeper out of his goal and taking aim for the far corner from all of 30 yards, but the ball bounced against the foot of the post and wide.

Hayes & Yeading captain Will Salmon met a corner at the near post but headed wide, while a brave block kept out a Jacques Cauvin volley at the other end after good work from Wallbridge and Fin Du Port on the left.

Guernsey opener was deserved and one to savour. A good move involving Tom Dodds, Matt Loaring and Sam Murray got the ball forward, and a tackle led to a loose back picked up by Wallbridge 25 yards out. He had Cauvin steaming up the right-hand side for a square ball, but Wallbridge had spotted Blunkell just off his line and let fly, sending the ball into the far corner.

James Richmond should have levelled for the visitors five minutes later, but headed over from six yards from a corner.

But United got back on level terms just before half-time as the referee adjudged Cauvin to have fouled Jonathan Hippolyte just inside the area as the two chased a loose ball. Adrian Clifton made a performance of his run up but sent Josh Addison the wrong way to roll the ball in bottom-left.

Loaring had a good chance to put his side back in front in injury time, having played a long ball out to the left for Charlton Gauvain then run half the length of the pitch for the return pass. It looked to have opened up for him on his right foot on the edge of the box, but he opted to drag the ball onto his left, and didn’t make clean contact in dragging his shot wide of the far post.

Hayes & Yeading’s winner seven minutes into the second half was somewhat fortunate. Richmond’s diagonal just evaded Cauvin’s head to reach Hinds, who headed for the byline. He was surely trying to cross from that angle, so perhaps it was a mishit that send the ball spinning over Addison, dropping just over the line despite the best efforts of Dodds.

GFC almost threw the game away completely with three minutes as Loaring dallied on the ball and was robbed. Hippolyte was in on goal and should have made it 3-1 but hit it straight at Addison.

Murray came close to levelling the score a couple of times. He scooped a volley towards goal after a cross had ricocheted in his direction, but it lacked power and Blunkell fielded. He also controlled a useful ball into the area from Loaring and volleyed a goal on the spin, but lifted it over from the angle of the six-yard box.

Gauvain forced Blunkell to hold from distance and substitute Simon Arnold sliced wide as Guernsey huffed and puffed looking for a route back into the game.

Loaring thought he had forced in a leveller with a few minutes to go, swivelling and firing towards the corner from just inside the area. It looked like it was sneaking into the corner, but Blunkell just about managed to smuggle it behind.

In the end the Green Lions ran out of time, and remain adrift in the bottom two in Isthmian South Central. Saturday’s other results were as follows: Binfield 2-0 South Park, Hanworth Villa 0-1 Rayners Lane, Hartley Wintney 1-2 Westfield, Horndean 1-0 Metropolitan Police, Kingstonian 1-0 Harrow Borough, Leatherhead 0-1 Raynes Park Vale, Moneyfields 2-2 Badshot Lea, Southall 2-1 Ascot United, Uxbridge 0-5 Farnham Town.

GUERNSEY: 1 Josh ADDISON; 2 Niall HAINSWORTH; 4 Tom DODDS (18 Dave MERRIS, 85’); 5 Tom VAUDIN; 7 Charlton GAUVAIN (6 Kieran MAHON, 90+1’); 8 Matt LOARING (c); 9 Sam MURRAY; 10 Ross ALLEN, 11 Owen WALLBRIDGE; 12 Fin DU PORT (20 Alex WARD, 88’); 21 Jacques CAUVIN (14 Simon ARNOLD, 81’).

Booked: Cauvin, Vaudin, Wallbridge.

HAYES & YEADING UNITED: 13 Josh BLUNKELL; 2 Cole BROWN (12 Wraynel HERCULES, 67’); 3 Jack WILLIAMS; 4 Adam MARTIN; 5 Keano ROBINSON; 6 James RICHMOND; 9 Kaylen HINDS; 10 Jonathan HIPPOLYTE (7 George SIPPETTS, 77’); 14 Adrian CLIFTON, 15 Will SALMON (c); 16 Herson ALVES (18 Hani BERCHICHE, 67’). Not used: 17 Mwetsi MATANGI; 19 Rocky WILLIAMS.

Booked: Robinson, Sippetts.

Attendance: 626.

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